Good News in the Borough and at City Hall
Recently, Borough Mayor Michael Applebaum and the Union Montreal City Councillors were able to share good news with Côte des Neiges – Notre Dame de Grâce residents. The new $15 million sports centre at Benny and Monkland will be completed ahead of schedule and nearly $400,000 below budget. The facility with an indoor pool and full service gym will significantly enhance recreational facilities in the borough.
Six months after the last municipal election that good news is indicative of the leadership of the Union Montreal team both in the borough and at City Hall. Our approach is to solve problems, stimulate investment and jobs, improve services, keep services affordable and promote harmony, tolerance and cooperation among Montreal’s increasingly multicultural population.
Our commitment to good government and prosperity seems to drive the two municipal opposition parties into a frenzy. But more about that later.
In the last few weeks alone in our borough, Union Montreal has improved bus service on Côte des Neiges, adding the longer articulated buses onto the 165 and 535 routes. The Borough Council authorized $2 million in spending for road repaving on residential streets and extended a traffic calming plan to add bollards and speed bumps to various streets. The redevelopment of the Namur – Jean Talon area has begun which will eventually see 3000 new homes.
We have also launched the final phases of the plan to redevelop Côte des Neiges Street, begun discussions with the Government for funding of new projects for Van Horne Park and Nelson Mandela Park. Meetings to foster intercultural communications are taking place on a regular basis and the Borough Council has voted grants to promote cultural and recreational projects promoted by various ethnic organizations. Residents are beginning to enjoy the fruits of the $3 million Victoria Avenue revitalization recently completed as they are the improvements to Kent Park.
In all modesty, that is a very good beginning to the 2009-2013 mandate.
At City Hall, Mayor Gerald Tremblay negotiated a deal with the mayors of all the cities of the Montreal Metropolitan Community which has now been endorsed by the Government of Quebec to pump additional funding into public transit. The Mayor has assured that Montreal has one of the best transit systems in North America and one with among the most affordable fares.
Mayor Tremblay announced a new family policy that includes large investments in park improvements and traffic control and supports families purchasing homes in the city. Michael Applebaum, in his capacity as an Executive Committee member, is working with the Government in a program that will invest tens of millions into refurbishing Montreal’s arenas and recreational facilities.
The Union Montreal administration has approved projects that will see more than $100 million in private investment on St. Catherine and is working with the Government for the ultimate redevelopment of the Blue Bonnets site to counter urban sprawl and to build thousands or affordable residences in this choice location.
Our administration has also been able to improve the park on Mont Royal, find additional funding to protect ecologically valuable forests island wide by purchasing them for the regional park network, nominated an ethics Councillor, began broadcasting Council meetings on the web and is moving forward with the completion of the Quartier des spectacles. Housing starts remain robust and investors have confidence in our economy.
That doesn’t seem to sit well with the opposition. The opposition parties seem to take their lead from the opposition parties in the Quebec National Assembly. It’s almost guaranteed that every time Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois or Quebec Solidaire leader Amir Khadir attack Premier Jean Charest their interventions show up at Montreal Council as motions pushed by the municipal opposition parties.
I have always believed that the municipal parties should and can be vehicles that unite citizens around a vision of the city and can encourage cooperation on purely civic issues. This certainly is not the case in this mandate of Council. Both Vision Montreal and to a lesser extent Projet Montreal are becoming the mouthpieces of the provincial parties and in my opinion abdicating their responsibility to act as reasonable critics, the traditional role of the opposition.
Nonetheless, Union Montreal will push ahead with a liberal progressive agenda. In particular at the borough and at City Hall, we will work to assure that Montreal’s growth and prosperity are shared by all.
